As for me, I suppose I dress eccentric compared to most London girls in my area (footless tights anyone?) I have always had a style that is 18thc meets deco mets modern...don't know what that equals, really. Part of the reason I really liked to 06 Marie Antoinette movie.

All my clothes are modern high street/sample sale/occasional designer peice. Alot comes from a certain store where a former student on my course works; you can always spot his peices, and I usually snap them up.

And no, I don't do the hair :p I want to be taken seriously, more Von Teese than Piaggi. But I do think Piaggi looks cool, just not for me.

I do like the idea of top hats on men, though.

__________________If it ain't Baroque, fix it

If you wish to know my feelings about the masses, they seem to be suffering from an excess "m".

First, the definition for eccentric; as in costume or just high fashion in general? I know a lot of people who deems high fashion as eccentric.

I think costume dressing is too cool if the person pulls it off and still look effortless. The picture you posted of the first person is not a good example in my honest opinion.
Some rambling from where I live, skip if you wish. A girl in my school has this whole costume, emo, anime, cyber punk style plus bold makeup. Albeit her style is not in the favour of mine, yet I always look at her with admiration for her audacity. I think she pulls off the style quite well. Two days ago, a girl (the type that does drugs and skips class and fails) approached her after school, told her that she should tone down her style, her clothes f***ing sucks.

I love people who has eccentric style, with some costume elements thrown in with everyday style or just high fashion/catwalk looks. I am not keen on wearing head to toe costume, except for Halloween. I would love to be more eccentric, after I finish high school and become independent. However, the general public does not handle eccentric dressers so well in my opinion. They have this biased attitude towards them indeed.

(I would love to see susie_bubble replying to this topic)

__________________

"It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers".James Thurber

yeah definitely easy to look eccentric in some high fashion clothes because of all the little details, special colours and cuts... even ones w/ classic shapes only overly-beaded and so on, like those minis with the giant jewels at chloé. very quick to stand out. it's that it looks nothing like 'mainstream' clothes... i think this is what designer clothes should be (i can't say it's all like this though).

^that's a great question, dreamecho
I find actually a lot of these people I see seem pretty quiet and shy, just the way they walk and look around. They sometimes have their eyes to the ground or they look nervous all the time. They look very sweet actually
Seem like introverted types with a lot of odd hobbies and specific interests
I'd love to talk with them but maybe they don't see me

Though the way they dress is nothing like Anna Piaggi. It stands out but it's a quieter in colours maybe and the style is more formal. I have a classmate who's closer to Anna Piaggi only in the colours and she is very talkative, doesn't stop talking actually... Sometimes I feel she might explode if she stops talking So, I think it really depends on the style of dress. I think you have to be a bit introverted to show a really unique, personal style. I think extroverts' actions are usually geared towards other people... so maybe their clothes can be like popular fashions, only in louder colours and things, if that makes any sense.

I was mulling over what you said about having to be somewhat "introverted to show a really unique, personal style." That makes sense, in that maybe you have to be introspective and self-reflective in the first place before you can understand yourself. And only after you are well-acquainted with yourself, then can you truly express yourself through your style.

On the other hand, I wonder if there are people who don't need much self-reflection in order to be able to exhibit eccentric style AND who also dress for themselves...does that make sense? What I mean is, are there extroverts who simply dress for themselves?

Being more of an introvert myself , I am pretty curious to hear from the extroverts as well.... What drives you?

Oh oh I do think most people dress for themselves... If they seem like they are dressing for other people, like if they dress in an established style, it's maybe because they're still trying to find a style that suits them... My little, little sister is like this That talkative girl in my class, I asked her about this and she says she doesn't like to stick to one style--she likes to try them all. But she has a very good sense of humour so I'm thinking it comes out in how she dresses. She seems pretty strong and doesn't mind at all if people laugh at her (I've walked with her sometimes downtown and noticed it)

I know from discussing with another introvert on this board that she and I both say things with our clothing that we would be too shy to say with words.

I suppose I come across as eccentric sometimes, based on how people look at me in the street; I think it has to do more with unexpected combinations and/or context than any individual piece of clothing that I own. Most of my clothing is pretty basic, although I guess some of my shoes are loud.

yeah, kinda ha ha ha...
in my old office, it's a very big one, my company placed 3 floors and not all of us know each other's name and face.
almost every person in there know me as the girl with eccentric look :p

sometimes i dress in white short dress adn pink fishnets leggings, or layers of clothes and own made knit scarf, i wore boots a lot too

So what is expressed by dressing eccentrically?
that i'm comfortable with myself without having to follow everyone else.
i think the based for this so called eccentric is that it's different from the communal agreement on what is "acceptable" and "common"

What sorts of sentiments, beliefs, dispositions...?
hmmm.. english is not my primary language so i try to answer this from my best knowledge.
i think the sentiments come from the so called "common" people is that the "eccentrics" try to stand out from the others, that the "eccentric" are people who seek for attention.
but i found 2 type of people who dressed eccentric.
1. those who really seek for attention and to proclaimed that they're different
or
2. people who just comfortabl with themselves and don't care what other people think.

Perhaps a rage against conformity, a rage against blandness?
perharps not a rage against conformity, but a rage against people's short minded that those who "break" the rules of community are not welcomed.

An adventurous spirit? A desire to be in the spotlight? Or a two-second attention span?
as i say when it concerns me, not all of them.
it's more of MY comfortability, and not for "people's" conformity to see me

Can someone be shy and quiet in behavior, yet also be bold enough to dress like Anna Piaggi? Or does dressing eccentrically require a extroverted personality?
i'm shy and an introvert person, i'm not bold and a stand out person in a community.

I'd find it really refreshing to have more eccentrically dressed people around here...it's always interesting to look at someone who has obviously put a lot of thought into his outfit, besides it adds some kind of 'fresh breeze' and it's just more fun in general.

as for myself, I simply wear what I feel like wearing that particular day...definitely not very eccentric though.

I am an extrovert by nature, but the joy of dressing myself up (look at my signature) made me an introvert, because how people deride and slightly exclude me (just inevitable at this age). I concur that in order to dress eccentrically or at least unique, you need to break away from the norm, which means you ought not have too many friends/social butterfly is a no-no. I think this way because I deem people's clothing choices are strongly affected/influenced by their peers/social group. Psychologically, humans just conforms for no reason, even we do not want to, but we subconscious-ly and automatically will once we have a social group. Eccentric style means the wearer is also a kook on the inside, which means the person is not a popular choice amongst people.

I hope what I am saying makes sense....

__________________

"It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers".James Thurber

many eccentric persons surely are introverts and shy. talking from my own experience it's not about a rage against community or a desire to be in the spotlight. for me it's just a different sense of beauty, you apparently love items other people consider unusual and then there's that simple desire to surround oneself with those things. so it's more following a inner desire than considering one's environments reaction. and all that extra attention one gets is not always welcome.
and I totaly agree with tangerine about saying things with clothes one wouldn't otherwise. maybe it's the only possibility for really shy persons, to convey that they are worth not being overlooked.

__________________Do not take life too seriously, you will never get out of it alive. ~ Elbert Hubbard